After Hours
by Banna-nannas
Summary: It's John's turn to call the shots on date night. Banna Modern AU.


**This is another response to the Tumblr A Picture is Worth 1000 Words Photo Challenge. #7: The Cube. The photo is actually a Rubik's Cube...Wellllllllllll, let's just say I chose a slightly different type of cube ;)**

 **Thanks mr-and-mrs-bates for the eyes, as always, you rock.**

* * *

"Are we still on for date night tomorrow?" Anna called from the playroom.

John, having finally gotten Jack to sleep, shuffled up to the doorway, leaning on the frame to support him as he admired the view before him. Tornado Jack had struck again. Their little boy loved his toys, but didn't love putting them away. As much as they tried to make a game out of it, the toddler wasn't always the most compliant. This was one such night.

Believing him to be down the hall, voice still raised, she continued, "I think it's your turn to pick where we go…"

He just smirked behind her silently. Sprawled on all fours on the floor of the small living area, she was reaching to scoop their son's toys into one pile. Lunging forward and to her sides, he was granted a display of surprising sensuality. Contorting herself, her shirt pulled up to reveal a sliver of skin on her lower back. He licked his lip as he allowed his gaze to follow the curves covered by jeans that fit like a second skin.

"…anyway, Elsie called this afternoon to confirm we were bringing Jack to stay the night with them," she yelled, oblivious to his presence.

He couldn't simply watch any longer. As softly as possible, he padded closer to her, hands starting to reach out.

"John?" She called out and sat back on her heels, curious. Taking a quick breath, and turning her head, she started, "Are you listeni—Oh!" she shrieked and brought her hand to her chest.

"What are you doing?!" she cried as she swung her arm around behind her to swat him in the leg. "You silly beggar, you gave me a fright!"

"Sorry," he chuckled as he squatted behind her, brushing her hair aside to nuzzle her exposed neck, "you just looked so….enticing."

"Oh I did, did I?" Trying and failing to sound disbelieving, she hummed in approval as he began to press slow kisses up towards her ear. She loved when he did that. "John?"

"Hmm?"

"As lovely as this is…" she trailed off, producing several incoherent sounds when he started to nibble her earlobe.

"Yes, my darling? he teased. "You were saying?"

"…what?"

Laughingly, he lowered himself to his knees. "What do you say, we finish up here so we can continue our evening elsewhere?"

Spurred on by her blushing nod, he was eager to "continue" their evening and made a quick show of picking up where she left off. A ball rolled just beyond his reach by the corner of the couch, forcing him to lean forward a little more than he anticipated when he was caught off guard by a sudden smack to his rear. He froze in place for a moment until the sound of her laughter jarred him to the present. He raised his eyebrow at her.

"Mrs. Bates?"

Still giggling, she offered, "I'm sorry…it was enticing."

The playroom could wait.

* * *

The front door swung open. Heels clicked against the tile of the entryway and fabric rustled as jackets were removed. Dropping his keys in their dish, John made his way into the house, lighting the way.

"I'm knackered," Anna breathed as she went about hanging jackets and placing her purse in it's home by the door. "I never thought I'd say that after having only gone to dinner. It's barely nine o'clock."

Stopping in place, he tried not to look disappointed, he fumbled, "Oh…I didn't realize you were so tired…I rather thought that our date wasn't quite finished…just yet."

"You had something else in mind? 'Mister Oh-let's-just-grab-a-quick-bite' has an idea? I'm intrigued."

"I just…I dunno, I just wanted to do something a little different…special." Slightly deflated, he put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "If you'd rather not, it's fine, it can wait."

"You silly beggar," she rolled her eyes playfully and closed the distance between them. His hands still buried, she threaded her hands under his arms to wrap around his back and her chin came to rest on his chest. "I'm not falling asleep anytime too soon, I just missed home, I guess. Besides, I'm curious now. Just what are you planning, Mr. Bates?" she said with a teasing smile.

His eyes lit up as he bent to kiss her nose. "It's a surprise," he said. Now he was getting excited. He took a hold of her arms and released himself from her grasp. "Go to our room and get comfortable. I have some things to fetch."

Deciding to keep silent and play along, she nodded slowly, squinting at him as she backed away. Halfway down the hall, she turned to see him waiting for her to follow his directions.

His look of mirth palpable, he waved his hand at her to hurry her along.

"Yes, yes, I'm going," she said as she turned into their bedroom at the end of the hall.

As soon as he was sure she was out of sight, he burst into action.

 ** _Where did we put it? Not in the hall closet, that would be stupid…spare bedroom?_**

Wandering into the guest room, he slid the closet open to reveal a small stack of board games on the top shelf.

 ** _Bingo, John._**

Carefully, he pulled down a slightly dusty box with rather suggestive silhouettes displayed along the border and the words, "After Hours," prominently printed across the center.

 ** _Christ, it's still wrapped in plastic?_** He rolled his eyes, ashamedly. This was an anniversary gift from years ago he'd bought on a lark. They had plans to use it once or twice but always found themselves too distracted to actually use it. It wasn't as if their love life had been suffering, but, he thought it might be nice to make a game of it.

 ** _Why on earth do I need whipped cream?_**

He squinted at the item-list from the box. The game came equipped with various "accessories" like feathers and scented oils, but some extra items needed to be gathered, like matches, whipped cream…

"…and ice cubes?" he muttered aloud as he grabbed a bowl from the cabinet and emptied an ice tray, shrugging.

If he thought she looked curious earlier, the look she gave him as he bumbled into the room looked downright desperate for answers. The ice bowl balanced precariously on the box he only barely managed to close; meanwhile, the can of whipped cream clanged against the glass with every motion.

"We already had dessert, why do you need whipped cream? Are you looking for seconds?" she prodded.

"Maybe." He winked at her and all traces of her teasing melted deep into her belly.

She swallowed and bit her lip in anticipation.

In silence, he followed the directions he found inside the box. He lit the included scented candles, laid out the dice and the truth, dare and tease cards in separate piles. The "teasing" pile heaped over the sides of the box and she kept trying to sneak a peek which earned her a disapproving "Tsk-Tsk" from her husband.

* * *

"A blindfold? Oh John, is that really necessary?" she asked, fidgeting with her hands.

Four dares, two truths, and three teases complete, they sat facing each other on the bed, he in his boxers and necktie and her, completely nude. Their clothing littered the floor around the bed, several pieces having been removed with teeth and others in striptease fashion; the latter, much to Anna's delight.

"I'm afraid it is, my lovely one. It'll hide the overwhelming sexiness of this dad bod." He slapped his belly with both hands for added effect.

"Don't you even. You're the father of my child, that makes you the sexiest man I know….dad bod and all." She grinned and bit her lip as he closed the space between them.

"What did I do to deserve you?" he said softly before closing the gap for a gentle kiss. "Who's the silly beggar now? You're the one crazy enough to want me!"

She laughed and shoved his shoulder playfully, "Oh, get away."

"I don't think so, my darling, we're not finished here. The card says I get three turns here…and the blindfold stays on."

"Bu—"

"No, buts."

Sighing softly and pursing her lips, she slid the satin cover in place and lay back against the pillows.

He had to remind himself to breathe.

 ** _She is so staggeringly…flawless, perfect. She's more beautiful now than ever before._**

Seldom did he get the chance to sit back and observe his wife in her natural state. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate her figure or know that she was stunning, they were usually both so engaged in their activities that to have her passively waiting for him like this took the air from his chest.

"John?" She called to him, beginning to feel anxious. **_Oh Anna, please, it's your husband, just relax._**

"I'm here, love," he reached for her hand to reassure her. The other hand made its way to the stack of cards. Smiling as he read, he reached into the box to pull out a long feather. Not expecting the contact, she flinched slightly when he caressed her cheek softly with the white plume. Her chest bobbed lightly with a quiet laugh. John released the breath he'd been holding while waiting for her reaction. She seemed uncomfortable with the blindfold earlier, but her posture seemed calmer now. The feather traced gently around her chin before coming up to her other cheek and brushing against her mouth. She puckered in surprise and John couldn't resist covering her lips with his own. Her muffled moan broke the silence in the room, spurring on her husband's own reaction. He shifted uncomfortably as even his boxers were beginning to feel tight. Pulling away from her, he watched her chest rise in noiseless pants. Her parted lips looked redder and skin flushed pink, he needed to take a few deep breaths of his own to regain control before he moved on.

"Oh…my god…John," she wound her fingers through her hair, still panting, "that was…amazing," she laughed fully, then.

He chuckled in response, glad to see her enjoying herself, and pleased he was having that affect on her. "You just wait, I still have two more turns here, you know."

"Crikey…I don't think we'll need them," she sighed.

The next card prompted a roll of the dice and specific instructions. "Ice Cube" appeared on one die while the other landed on "Kiss."

 ** _So, THAT'S what those are for…_** He grinned to himself and reached into the bowl.

Anna gasped and arched off the bed, grasping at the bedding at the sudden shock of cold and wet at the center of her belly. "John?! WHAT WAS—-oooh, my…" Instantly, the cold was followed by the warmth of her husband's mouth, kissing away the chill. He growled softly when she eased back and reached for him. The cool sensation forged a path upward between her breasts, causing goosebumps to prick at her flesh, rising up as the cube left a moist trail in its wake. She shivered excitedly from the contrast as the heat from his lips and tongue immediately followed wherever it went. Nipples raised in response to being teased one at a time, slowly and torturously. Her breaths came in short huffs. He watched her smugly, feeling proud seeing her come undone before his eyes. He smirked before dragging the melting cube in a path to her core, suckling at her smooth skin the entire way.

Suddenly, she released a frustrated groan. Sitting up and ripping off the mask, her eyes sought out her very stunned husband. She leaned forward to grab him by the tie, "Come here," she heaved.

Bemused, he raised an eyebrow at her, "but…what about the rest of the game?"

She pulled him closer as she bit her lip to tamp her desire, "Who cares?"

"So…I guess this means I won?"

"Shut up and kiss me, John."

* * *

John Bates filled his lungs and stretched upward. The smell of bacon and eggs on the griddle permeated their kitchen. He smiled considering the previous evening. There was no doubt they'd both have worked up a healthy appetite.

Anna came around the corner pulling her robe tight in front of her. He chuckled and shook his head at the vision before him. Even with sleep still in her eyes and hair mussed, she looked beautiful.

"Good morning, Mrs. Bates. I thought you'd still be sleeping for a while."

"It's later than you think, Mr. Bates. Anyway, it feels wrong sleeping much later anymore. Jack normally wakes me up nowadays and you weren't there, so…well, anyway, fancy a cuppa?"

"Mmm, please."

She turned to the refrigerator for the milk, until she glanced at the freezer. She smirked.

"You know what else I fancy? A good morning snog." She slinked towards him as he leaned against the counter near the stove, where he had just moved their prepared feast.

He studied her as she approached, "what are you up to?"

She leaned her full weight against his front and he brought his hands up to cup her face. When he pressed his lips to hers, she wrapped her arms around his back. He hummed in approval as she brought her hands lower to toy with his waistband, and he deepened the kiss. She played with the elastic before slipping a hand inside to cup his rear. He moaned softly. Her second hand soon joined the first. Unfurling her fingers, to grasp at his flesh, he released her with a shocked gasp and yelp. She leapt backwards shrieking with glee as she watched the ice cube slide out from his pant leg next to his slippered foot on the kitchen floor.

"…Anna…wha—what was that?" He looked at her, astonished.

" _I_ won, Mr. Bates," she laughed once more before he chased after her racing form.


End file.
